Winn: Playing at home

Returning home to play in San Francisco has been one of the highlights of my career, a dream come true.

I went to college and high school in the Bay Area, and my parents are still here. It's been fun to see some old faces, and I love being able to spend time with my family.

The whole family can come and watch my games now. My mom was especially excited about having me back in the area. If I think back to all of the sports I played as a kid -- baseball, soccer, tennis, swimming and basketball -- I don't think she ever missed a game. For her, this is a dream come true, too. She comes to games when her job and time permit now. But if she wanted to, she could come to every game, just like when I was kid.

The best thing about being here is that it's home. My family has been here since 1980. It's a place that feels comfortable. It feels like home.

When I heard for the first time that I was being traded to San Francisco, I was surprised and shocked, but in a very positive way. Although you try not to focus on trade rumors, you do think to yourself what city it could be, and I never thought it would be here.

When I was growing up we had some really good teams on both sides of the bay, just like we do now.

I really couldn't say I was a Giants or A's fan growing up. I was a baseball fan. It was easier to get to the Oakland Coliseum for us with the BART train system, but I did go to a lot of games at Candlestick Park as well. I loved watching baseball and all the good players who came in to play.

Although I thought about playing here as a kid, I never thought in my wildest dreams that it would happen.

A speedy outfielder, Randy Winn was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the San Francisco Giants in the middle of the 2005 season. In 2006, his first full campaign with the Giants, the former All-Star batted .262 with 11 homers, 56 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Winn graduated from San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, Calif., where he excelled in both baseball and basketball.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.